Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess

Mary Elizabeth, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess, Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat, was born on 5 February 1972 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. The Crown Princess is the youngest daughter of John Dalgleish Donaldson, who was born in Scotland on 5 September 1941. He is a Professor of Applied Mathematics. Her mother was Mrs. Henrietta Clark Donaldson, born 12 May 1942.

The couple were married in Edinburgh, Scotland on 31 August 1963 and emigrated to Australia in November that year. They became Australian citizens in 1975. Crown Princess Mary’s mother worked as the Executive Assistant to the Vice Chancellor of The University of Tasmania. Henrietta Clark Donaldson died 20 November 1997.

On 5 September 2001, Professor John Donaldson married Susan Elizabeth Donaldson (née Horwood), an author from Britain. The Crown Princess has two sisters and a brother: Jane Alison Stephens, born 26 December 1965, Patricia Anne Bailey, born 16 March 1968, and John Stuart Donaldson, born 9 July 1970.

MARRIAGE

On 14 May 2004, on the occasion of her marriage to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, she became Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth of Denmark. The marriage ceremony took place in Copenhagen Cathedral, and the wedding festivities were held at Fredensborg Palace.

EDUCATION

The Crown Princess’s schooling began in 1974 and 1975 at Clear Lake City Elementary School in Houston, Texas. Returning to Hobart, The Crown Princess attended Sandy Bay Infants School from 1975 to 1977. From 1978 until 1982, she attended Waimea Heights Primary School. Crown Princess Mary attended Taroona High School from 1983 to 1986 and then during the next two years continued her studies at Hobart Matriculation College, where she was also an active sportswoman. Her Royal Highness enrolled at the University of Tasmania in 1989 and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor's degree in Commerce and Law (B Com. LLB).

FURTHER EDUCATION

Between 1994 and 1996, Crown Princess Mary qualified for a Certificate in Advertising from The Advertising Federation of Australia (AFA) and later a Certificate in Direct Marketing from the Australian Direct Marketing Association.

BUSINESS BACKGROUND

After completion of her university degree, The Crown Princess moved to Melbourne to take a graduate position with the world-wide advertising agency DDB Needham. After completion of the graduate programme, she held the position of Account Executive for client management. Crown Princess Mary’s career path continued with a position as Account Manager with MOJO Partners, also in Melbourne. In 1998, The Crown Princess travelled around America and also travelled extensively in Europe and the United Kingdom, particularly in her father’s homeland, Scotland, where she accepted a three-month contract as Account Manager with Rapp Collins Worldwide of Edinburgh.

She returned to Australia in the beginning of 1999 and took a position as Account Director with the international advertising agency Young and Rubicam in Sydney. The Crown Princess later worked for a short time with a smaller Australian company, Love, and she later became Sales Director and a member of the Management Team with Belle Property.

In the first half of 2002, after deciding to move to Europe, Crown Princess Mary worked for a short period in Paris, where she taught English at a Business English School. Later in 2002, The Crown Princess moved to Denmark and was employed by Microsoft Business Solutions as a Project Consultant for business development, communications and marketing.

LANGUAGES

The Crown Princess's mother tongue is English, and Danish is her second language.

PATRONAGES AND HONORARY MEMBERSHIPS

The Crown Princess is patron of a great many national organisations, institutions, and foundations and is an honorary member of various associations and societies.